ALLIED SERVICES

Your physician is supported by a full complement of allied services conveniently grouped in one location at Family Medical Center.

Radiology, mammography, lab, ultrasound, bone density and pulmonary screening are among the allied services available on an out-patient basis at the Clinic’s offices or adjacent facilities in Little Falls, Minnesota.

Pacemaker Insertion and Monitoring

When the body’s natural pacemaker – the sinoatrial (SA) node – is damaged by heart disease, the heart may beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly.

An artificial pacemaker is a small, battery-operated device that helps maintain normal heartbeat by sending electrical impulses to the heart.

The pacemaker is sealed in a metal case and inserted under your skin in the chest wall, below your left or right shoulder. One or two plastic-coated wires will be passed through a vein below your collarbone into your heart.

The pacemaker corrects arrhythmia and restores communication between the atria and ventricles. It increases the heart rate when physical activity demands.

A Family Medical Center internist specially-trained in the insertion and monitoring of pacemakers will discuss the procedure with you and decide which type of pacemaker is best.

The procedure is completed in about an hour under local anesthesia at adjacent St. Gabriel’s Hospital and usually requires one day of post-operative care.